K-State doctoral candidate turns groundbreaking cancer chemistry research into award-winning communication
Making any advance in the fight against cancer is a huge feat. But K-State’s Vidya Nadar also managed to compress her monumental cancer research into an award-winning three-minute thesis presentation.
What’s brocazine?
Brocazine is a rare molecule found in mangrove plants. It’s thought to be effective in fighting seven deadly cancers. But this molecule can only be found in small amounts, so chemists like Nadar are exploring paths to create it in the lab.
Her approach is to use total synthesis to build the molecular structure from scratch. Nadar and her mentor, associate professor of chemistry Ryan Rafferty, are very close to completing the brocazine total synthesis.
Research to recognition
Nadar showcased her complex and extensive research in just three minutes with a single static presentation slide in the K-State Graduate School’s three-minute thesis competition.
Her presentation titled “From Rare Molecules to Real Medicines” earned first place and the people’s choice award at K-State’s competition and another first-place award at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools three-minute thesis competition. She advanced to the next round in Los Angeles.
Not only is she reaching milestones in cancer research, but she’s also becoming an effective and engaging communicator. Especially when the clock is ticking.
“Condensing years of research into three minutes challenged me to focus on why my research matters rather than the technical details,” Nadar said. “I gained confidence in my ability to communicate complex science in an engaging, meaningful and accessible way. And that skill is just as important as the research itself.”
Nadar credits her success to K-State’s graduate research community.
“K-State’s commitment to professional development and science communication genuinely empowers graduate students to succeed and reach broader platforms,” she said. “The graduate school has definitely played a major role in preparing me to compete and succeed at the regional level.”
By Kate Ellwood
Curated from Fighting cancer by building nature’s most complex molecule from scratch